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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 27, 1987)
Editorial Blame it on apathy for low voter turnout Voter turn-out for this year’s ASUO student elections surpassed last year’s anemic voter participation. A little more than 3,000 of the University’s 17,000 or so students — or roughly 18 percent — voted this time around. This betters last year’s 12.5 percent, but not by much. While it is encouraging to see an increase in voter par ticipation, this year’s figures offer little to cheer about. Moreover, the increase may be attributed to competition bet ween special interest factions; most notably Concerned Students for Responsible Leadership in one camp and Students for a Progressive Agenda in the other. With the factional battlefronts distinctly drawn, one would think there would have been a high turnout. Despite the increase from last year. 18 percent is not high enough. Voter turnout on the national level runs close to 50 per cent. This is one of the lowest among Western democracies. It is a poor standard to live up to. yet seemingly out of reach for University students. The unseen enemy for the University’s low turnout is apathy — apalling apathy. In the last 35 years, the highest voter turnout has been 43 percent, and that was back in 1955. Considering the weighty issues students were asked to vote on this year, i.e.. child care and Athletic Department funding, more students should have gone to the polls. Perhaps next year students will find time and reason enough to vote. Maybe some issue or some candidate will strike a nerve in the student body. Maybe next year voter tur nout will top the national average. Hut then again, maybe not. Supremacist indictments will curb racial violence With this tin* beginning of Holocaust Week, the federal indictments of 15 white supremacists last Friday comes as poetic and legal justice. The 15 white separatists are leaders of various hate groups. such as the Aryan Nations Chruch, The Order and the ku klux klan. All have been charged with conspiring to overthrow the federal government and allegedly have used a variety of means to accomplish this end. including murder, bank robberies, counterfeiting and bombings. Included in the round up. known as Operation Clean Sweep, was the Rev. Richard Butler, leader of the Aryan Na tions Church. Butler preaches in his Sunday sermons that jews are the children of Satan and non-whites are sub human and are not worthy of spiritual salvation. Using a church pulpit to profess hate doctrines should be a crime in itself, but tin; charges leveled against Butler and his racist crew outweigh this lesser evil. In our pluralistic society freedom of expression must be respected. Hate mongers and racists enjoy the basic civil liberties granted to all American citizens. However, as is usually tin* case for any society's radical fringe, the 15 who were indicted had gone too far. One has the right to speak of hate and violence, but not to carry these concepts out. The indictments will not harken an end to anti-semitism and racism within the ranks of neo-Nazi groups. Vet by pro secuting their leaders, the federal government undoubtedly has crippled these groups’ effort to spread violence. NNlfiCTCP 5TWWK Wtftse OPTiONS Letters Safe or sorry ll bothers mt* when I hear so meone describe abortion as safe and legal. Abortion is anything hut safe We must begin by putting this issue in its proper perspective: Half of all the human beings who enter an abortion facility never make it out alive. Those little babies who get cut to shreads (I) Mi (!) or burned up (saline method) certainly aren't “safe. ” As for the women involved, we shouldn't forget the physical problems an abortion can cause lier. Oh sure, statistically the percentage who become sterile, hemorrhage or acquire infec tions may lie small, but we're talking about an operation oc curing more than a million times each year in the United States. Maybe a presentation of actual numbers of women hav ing complications might discourage many from believing abortion is so safe, wonder how a woman feels who gets an abortion — and later finds it impossible to bear children (due to the abortion or even some other factor). Oregon Daily Emerald The Oregon Daily Emerald Is published Monday through Friday except during exam week and vacations by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co , at the University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, 97403 The Emerald operates independently of the University with offices on the third floor of the Erb Memorial Union and is a member of the Associated Press The Emerald is private properly The unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable by law General Staff Advertising Director Susan Thelen Production Manager Wayne Michael Lottinville Classified Advertising Alyson Simmons Assistant to the Publisher Jean Ownbey Advertising Sales: Peter LaFleur/ Sales Manager Teresa Acosta, Janelle Heitmann, Catherine t_ilja, Rick Martz. Joseph Menzel, Joan Wildermuth Advertising Apprentices: Teri Boring Heather Mull, Bar bara Rodgers, Julie Paul News and Editorial 686 5511 Display Advertising and Business 686 3712 Classified Advertising 686 4343 Letter Perfect Graphics 686 5511 Production 686 4381 Circulation 686 5511 Editor Managing Editor News Editor Spectrum Editor Spectrum Assistant Editor Editorial Page Editors Sports Editor Photo Editor Spectrum Photo Editor Graphics Editor Night Editor Associate Editors Community Politics Higher Education / Administration University Affairs Student Government Student Activities General Assignment General Assignment Michelle Brence Lucinda Dillon Michael Rivers Stephen Maher Stanley Nelson Michael Drummond Angle Muniz Dennis Fernandes Maria Corvallis John Giustina Lorraine Rath Stanley Nelson Janet Paulson B J Thomsen Chris Norred Laurie Schwartz Carolyn Lamberson Sarah Kitchen Alicia Gano Scott Maben Reporters: Jackie Barry, Mary Courtis, Gary Henley Photographers: Sherlyn Bjorkgren, Shu Shing Chen, Der rel Hewitt. Tim Jones, Bobbie Lo, Dan Wheeler Production: Michele Ross / Ad Coordinator Supervisors: Sandra Bevans, ShuShing Chen. Eliot Knight. Angela Muniz, Ingrid White Technicians: Kelly Alexandre. Ronwin Nicole Ashton Virginia Bamaga. Samantha Barbitta, Sara Briscoe Janet Emery, Judith Gatz, Lisa Haggerty. Jung Lee. Donna Leslie. Bobbie Lo. Curtis Lott. Kelli Mason, Mike McGraw Rob Miles, Diana Moy, Julie Paul, Michael Wilhelm Serena Williams. X Kang Xie To have to live with the thought that you might have aborted the only baby you ever could conceive must really be painful. Yes. abortion is legal, but 1 encourage people to think about how “safe” it is for tin? baby and the mother. Patricia Dalgliesh Fall Creek, Oregon Tennis match Reading the ODE has changed my outlook on life. Perhaps a few words of explanation are in order. 1 was. until recently, an idealist The social legislation and political activism led me to believe that the world was becoming a more tolerant, understanding place in which divergent views and beliefs would be tolerated, perhaps even welcomed. 1 transfered to this University with this view intact, and 1 welcomed the “free exchange of ideas” and “rational discus sions of differing opinions.” Reading the ODE has changed my outlook by making me realize that my view was ridiculously idealistic. Reading the editorials is like watching a dead-locked tennis match — back and forth, back and forth, ad nauseum. Eirst the “pro-lifers,” then the pro-choicers.” Then come the Creationists and the Evolu tionists, followed by the Atheists and the Christians. 1 here is no discussion, just long-winded discourses from (•roup A about how completely misled and wrong Croup B is. The most common "exchange of ideas” here happens when people say. Hey, you, come exchange you ideas for mine — yours are wrong.” And so. with my youthful idealism turned into more mature’’ cynicism and pessimism, 1 no longer believe the world is becoming a more tolerant and understanding place, and I’m prepared to be a spectator of this life-long ideological tennis match. So. if you want to “debate” this issue with me, I can he found in the Free Speech Forum - I'm the one with cotton stuffed in my ears. Richard J. Schulte Telecommunication and film PIRG attack James Randall, who has been attacking the Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group for over a year, claimed in his letter to the Emerald (April 7) that he would question the fun ding of any student group which was as political in nature as OS PIRG. Why, then, hasn’t he? Many of the most active campus organizations are “political’’ in nature. Political involvement, learning to solve some of the many compelling problems of our society, is an invaluable part of a college education. Is OSPIRG really the most political group on campusl|[or just the group Ron Munion and James Randall seek to destroy first? James Randall ignorantly alleges that OSPIRG is evil mostly because it's a “partisan" organization. He is sadly mistaken. OSPIRG does not support or concern itself with the can didates or activities of any political party. In fact, both of the corporations controlled by OSPIRG students are legally registered with the State of Oregon as non-partisan. Mr. Munion and Mr. Randall do not agree with the view points put forward by OSPIRG. Does that make it “partisan"? No, I’m awfully sorry, James, but "controversial" does not mean "partisan." Maureen Kirk OSPIRG State Board Ghair
